"I always choose the Badgers:" On Selection Sunday, fans pumped to learn Bucky's a number one seed
MADISON (WITI) -- As we gear up for March Madness NCAA Tournament play, the Wisconsin Badgers are the #1 seed in the West Region.
Kentucky, Villanova, Wisconsin and Duke are the top-seeded teams going into this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament that opens this week. The Kentucky Wildcats are in the Midwest Region, with the Villanova Wildcats in East Region, the Wisconsin Badgers in the West Region and the Duke Blue Devils in the South Region.
Badgers fans believe the team will bust through the bracket to the Final Four -- for the second year in a row!
Wisconsin has earned the first # 1 seed in program history and will face # 16 Coastal Carolina on Friday, March 20th in Omaha, Nebraska to open its NCAA Tournament run.
The Badgers are Big Ten champions after outscoring Michigan State Sunday, March 15th 11-0 in overtime for an 80-69 victory in the Big Ten Tournament title game. They also won the regular season conference championship.
Badgers fans are excited.
"I think the fact that Duke and Virginia lost and didn`t make it to their championship game in their conferences is a big plus for us," UW-Madison graduate Josh Rathkamp said.
Sunday's victory over Michigan State was in the books. Then, the question was - where would Bucky land on the bracket? Mega-fan Michelle Browne-Perry watched from the edge of her seat.
"I'm so emotional! We deserved a number one seed - but we`re in a very difficult bracket," Browne-Perry said.
Stiff competition from teams like Arizona may make it even more thrilling.
"I always choose the Badgers every year. Win, lose or draw, I always choose the Badgers," Browne-Perry said.
"Best team in the Big Ten. The Big Ten is one of the best conferences in the country. You have to give it to them," Major Goolsby's Assistant Manager Marty Petricca said.
"You still find a lot of Badgers support wherever you go in this state. You can always find some place to cheer," UW-Madison graduate Sara Kelm said.
The Badgers lost to Kentucky in the Final Four last year. As we gear up for March Madness play, we'll have to see just how far they go this year!
We invite you to CLICK HERE to print & fill out your very own March Madness bracket!
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